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Nanuk

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey guys , Happy New Year . I got a question regarding Reloading a Muzzleloader .... I'm shooting a TC Encore 50cal I'm using two pellets and a 250 gr Shockwave bullet , I was sold Shotgun Primers cause they didn't have regular 209 s and told they burn hotter which is better but , I'm having a issue after my first shot the next sabot will only load within 3/4" of the pellets (ramrod is marked) and is super fouled . Is this normal ??? Am I using too hot of a primer getting an incomplete burn leaving to much residue behind ?? I would think that you should be able to get at least two shots without having to clean , no ??? I'm totally new to this and just want to be safe . Thanks for any assistants .
 
If you're shooting Triple 7 pellets, alot of guys experience excessive fouling with regular 209 primers. The reduced versions of 209s were developed to address this issue, & are marketed by all the major manufactures.

http://www.winchester.com/Products/...components/muzzleloading/muzzleloading-primers/Pages/muzzleloading-primers.aspx

Remington Kleanbore Muzzleloading Primers

CCI Ammunition - Primer Details





Another great way to reduce fouling, is to switch to Blackhorn 209 powder. (Although you'll need the hotter shotgun 209 primers for optimal performance with BH209)

Blackhorn 209
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Did you shoot the charge even though it wasn't seated against the pellets? That could be really dangerous. Clean the bore between each shot.
No , I realized it wasn't correct and removed the breach plug , dropped out pellets and push sabot through the muzzle . Was this the correct thing to do. I then proceeded to clean and was convinced this was for the birds ????
 
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Discussion starter · #7 ·
I have a TC Omega and shot over 25 rounds last week. It is much easier to load if you clean the barrel after every shot.
Yeah ,not what I anticipated . I figured 2 shots then clean . Really not what I barginned for .
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
If you're shooting Triple 7 pellets, alot of guys experience excessive fouling with regular 209 primers. The reduced versions of 209s were developed to address this issue, & are marketed by all the major manufactures.

http://www.winchester.com/Products/...components/muzzleloading/muzzleloading-primers/Pages/muzzleloading-primers.aspx

Remington Kleanbore Muzzleloading Primers

CCI Ammunition - Primer Details





Another great way to reduce fouling, is to switch to Blackhorn 209 powder. (Although you'll need the hotter shotgun 209 primers for optimal performance with BH209)

Blackhorn 209
Thanks L4Bear , I'll give those a try , not really ready for loose powder . This is all new to me and figured with the pellets I can't screw up to much but, I knew that this was wrong and dangerous .
I hope your enjoying your new life down there .... Hopefully I be joining you in 7-8 years . Have a Great New Year !!!
 
No , I realized it wasn't correct and removed the breach plug , dropped out pellets and push sabot through the muzzle . Was this the correct thing to do. I then proceeded to clean and was convinced this was for the birds ????
Yes, you did the right thing by not proceeding to shoot it. Also, make sure you put a liberal amount of breech plug grease on both the breech plug threads and inside the barrel threads.
 
I used 777 and Pyrodex before switching over to Blackhorn when it first came out years ago. I cannot see a reason to use the others anymore. The blackhorn is less corrosive and leaves significantly less fouling than the others. I still swab the bore between every shot with Blackhorn for consistency but you can shoot several shots with Blackhorn before you need to swab. With 777 I don't think it was physically possible for me to load a second time without swabbing.

Oops, posted this and then saw you weren't ready for loose powder.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
What about Bore Butter ??? Use or or Not ??? I shot 7 rounds and made my scope adjustments and gun shoots great but, I want to make sue I'm doing this right .
Yes I put plug grease on externals threads only ,Thank You for the tip on doing the barrel threads also .
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
I used 777 and Pyrodex before switching over to Blackhorn when it first came out years ago. I cannot see a reason to use the others anymore. The blackhorn is less corrosive and leaves significantly less fouling than the others. I still swab the bore between every shot with Blackhorn for consistency but you can shoot several shots with Blackhorn before you need to swab. With 777 I don't think it was physically possible for me to load a second time without swabbing.

Oops, posted this and then saw you weren't ready for loose powder.
Nah that's fine LoL , if that's going to be the only route for multiple shots then I guess I'll need to embrace it and get some mentoring. Perhaps when I'm ready I'll give someone a shout that has some experience with this . Thanks Mike
BTW I was originally from SI
 
no on the bore butter. It has no place in an inline ML. It has one positive quality and that is keeping fouling soft. Years ago guys would use it hoping to season the bore of sidelocks but there were mixed results. Some guys loved it others hated it. I've used it as bullet lube on occasion, and tried it in a couple flintlocks but was never impressed with it. With a modern inline it would only make a mess and provide no benefit.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
no on the bore butter. It has no place in an inline ML. It has one positive quality and that is keeping fouling soft. Years ago guys would use it hoping to season the bore of sidelocks but there were mixed results. Some guys loved it others hated it. I've used it as bullet lube on occasion, and tried it in a couple flintlocks but was never impressed with it. With a modern inline it would only make a mess and provide no benefit.
Thanks , I was using it to lube the bullet , used sparingly would that cause fouling as well ??
 
If you are new to muzzleloading and you are shooting a encore rifle do yourself a favor. Ditch the bullet lube and the pellets. Do like others have said and switch to Blackhorn 209.( you can shoot every bullet you own and still have easy loading with what residue is left behind using this powder) For a couple of bucks by a powder scale, weigh out whatever number of shots you need for a day in the field or range. Place the premeasured loads in old pill bottles, speed loaders or old camera film canisters. Buy regular 209 primers(CCI, Winchester or Federal) and couple this up with a good saboted bullet. T/C barrels tend to be on the tight side so to achieve maximum accuracy you may need to experiment a little. Boattail bullets are harder to load because they tend to drive the sabot skirt outward when pressure is applied. You may find square backed bullet designs to load better in your encore.
 
If you are new to muzzleloading and you are shooting a encore rifle do yourself a favor. Ditch the bullet lube and the pellets. Do like others have said and switch to Blackhorn 209.( you can shoot every bullet you own and still have easy loading with what residue is left behind using this powder) For a couple of bucks by a powder scale, weigh out whatever number of shots you need for a day in the field or range. Place the premeasured loads in old pill bottles, speed loaders or old camera film canisters. Buy regular 209 primers(CCI, Winchester or Federal) and couple this up with a good saboted bullet. T/C barrels tend to be on the tight side so to achieve maximum accuracy you may need to experiment a little. Boattail bullets are harder to load because they tend to drive the sabot skirt outward when pressure is applied. You may find square backed bullet designs to load better in your encore.
Agree on every point. In my Encore, Barnes 250 T-EZ with 100 grains of Blackhorn and a CCI standard primer has worked well and ive never had a misfire. One thing to clarify for Nanuk, if you are going to weigh the charges, make sure you follow the directions below which I pasted directly from the Blackhorn site.

If you prefer to weigh charges, you can convert the volume load recommendations into weighed grains by multiplying the volume load by 0.7. Example: 100 units by volume x 0.7 = 70 grains by weight. 110 volume charge x 0.7 = 77 grains by weight.
 
Agree with most of what was said.
With the Blackhorn, I've found no difference of weighing vs volumetric measuring. So, just get yourself a $10 powder measure and have at it.
Blackhorn also uses less powder, and max. load is 120 grains - so make sure that you follow that standard rather than the pyrodex/T7 max of 150 grains.
I've been using CCI Magnum primers, as per the recommendation on the Blackhorn website. Do not use muzzleloading primers such as Rem. Kleenbore, Win. Triple7, etc.
My load in an Encore is 90 grains Blackhorn, 250 grain Barnes Spitfire T-EZ bullet.
Year after year, when checking zero on this load, I:
Get to the range, load the MZ and fire a a fouling shot. It usually hits with 2" of center.
Load again, and hit is dead center.
Load once more, and the 3rd shot is touching the second.
Pack-up and go home.
Total time ~ 10 minutes [up]
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Thank You Guys All Great Advice ... Keep it coming and I'm sure I'll have more questions
 
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